Lib Dem Leadership Bet
October 16, 2007
Well, as the weeks unfold, it appears that politics is at the forefront of the news. Sir Menzies Campbell, amid all the pressure of poor poll results has decided to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats. It’s hardly surprising that this party has fallen in the polls, as their slightly fickle voters have now moved back to the Conservatives.
Still Sir Menzies Campbell, I guess had to be made a scape goat - for the benefit of the party, to enable them to get some coverage in the news (and hopefully more voters).
This however leaves the Liberal Democrats with a bit of a predicament; who will lead the party next? Well there’s no shortage of speculation by the bookies, with the favourite being Nick Legg - Ladbrokes offering 4/7.
Other candidates for the leadership of the Lib Dems include the former leader Charles Kennedy 16/1, Chris Huhne 11/4, David Law 12/1 and Vincent Cable 16/1. There are a whole host of others at longer odds than 20/1, if you think that these will not win. Check out the latest odds at Ladbrokes.
The problem is, who are these people? With the exception of Charles Kennedy, the others are relative unknowns, which does not go down very well with the electorate. To be leader, you do need to be able to inspire confidence, and give something special so the electorate will remember you, and that is what is lacking in the Liberal Democrats.
So will the really only choice for the Liberal Democrats future success take up the mantle again? Charles Kennedy did find it very tough at the top of his party, will he want to take this all back on, well in my opinion, if he doesn’t there’s every chance that the Liberal Democrats will sink further into the marginals, and a new third party could soon emerge - maybe even UKIP?
What are the odds of a White Christmas 2007?
October 12, 2007
Are you dreaming of a White Christmas?
Every Christmas there is one question on everyone’s mind - No, not “Will the Spice Girls be Number 1?” - Everyone wants to know “Will Christmas 2007 be a White Christmas?”
The last “official” White Christmas recorded in London was in 1999, although hardly anyone noticed, it only takes a single flake of snow to drop on the roof of the met office for it be officially deemed to be a “White Christmas”
Bear in mind that in these days of climate change, and therefore milder winters, there is much less chance of a White Christmas - that is not to say that you’ll never see snow again - We are also seeing much more violent changes in weather conditions these days, so heavy snow is quite likely every year. It’s more likely to fall in February or March though, and the chance of correctly predicting when it will snow is very remote indeed.
You’d think therefore that the odds offered on a White Christmas 2007 would be relatively high, but that is not the case. The latest odds of a White Christmas 2007 being offered by Bet 365 is 11/2. Why so low? Well, you only have to look at the sheer number of people who will bet on it being a White Christmas - When/If it does snow on Christmas Day, the bookies pay out huge sums of money.
And when it doesn’t (i.e. pretty much every year), the bookies collect a huge amount of money. So why not buck the trend, be a Grinch and bet on it NOT being a White Christmas this year? Well, the main reason is the odds - a lousy 1/10 is all you’re offered at the moment by Bet365. you’re not going to have much money to spend in the January sales with those odds!
At the end of the day, White Christmas betting is meant to be a bit of fun - It’s not a serious market for professional punters (apart from those who lay via Betfair etc). so if you want to bet a few quid that 2007 will be a White Christmas, then go ahead. but don’t be surprised to wake up to a mild, damp Christmas Day.
Here are the current odds for it being a White Christmas in 2007:
For the very latest odds on Christmas 2007 being a White Christmas, please click here.
England v Estonia Free £25 bet for England v Russia
October 12, 2007
Free £25 Euro 2008 Bet
Place a win single bet of £25 or more on the First Goalscorer or Correct Score market of the England v Estonia match and if your bet is a winner, betdirect will give you a free £25 bet on the same market of the Russia v England match on Wednesday.*
England Expects
betdirect have a patriotic special for England to win across all three sports this weekend. They are 9/1 for:
England to beat Sri Lanka (5th ODI)
England Half-Time/Full Time (v Estonia)
England to beat France (RUWC)
Best Odds Guaranteed
betdirect are offering best odds guaranteed on all UK horse races on Saturday. If you take an early price at any track and the SP is bigger, they will settle your bet at the bigger price.
*One free bet per market per person/household/IP. Returns exclude stake. Free bets will be available at midday 15/10/07. Free bets do not qualify for another free bet
Strictly come Dancing latest odds
October 11, 2007
Strictly Come Dancing latest odds 11th October 2007
Here are the latest odds for the contestants on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing program. Please note that the odds shown are for the outright winner, and are current at the time of going to press. Please click here for the very latest odds.
In addition, other markets are available on Strictly Come Dancing 2007, including Gender of winner, top Male and Top Female.
Strictly Come Dancing 2007 is shown on Saturday and Sunday Nights on BBC One. Previous winners include Natasha Kaplinski, Jill Halfpenny, Darren Gough and Mark Rampracash.
Latest Odds to win Strictly come Dancing 2007
Alesha Dixon - 4/1
Gabby Logan - 9/2
Kelly Brook - 11/2
Gethin Jones - 13/2
Penny Lancaster-Stewart - 8/1
Matt Di’Angelo - 12/1
John Barnes - 14/1
Letitia Dean - 22/1
Dominic Littlewood - 22/1
Kenny Logan - 25/1
Willie Thorne - 100/1
Kate Garraway - 125/1
Stephanie Beacham - 150/1
Political Betting
October 11, 2007
Well what a couple of weeks this has been in the political world, all being kicked off by the Conservative Conference, and in particular David Cameron’s speech. This week Labour have had another battering after the Pre-Budget report. All this has fueled a number of special bets being placed at bookmakers and at the exchanges.
After much speculation, the Prime Minister finally announced that there would be no snap election this year, and in fact has stated in interviews that it is highly unlikely that there will be an election next year either. The bookies have given these odds for the year of the next election:
Check the Latest Odds
If you would like to speculate as to who will win, then the bookies are favouring Labour at the moment. Though I guess could all change as we get nearer to an election. The latest odds on offer from the bookies are:
- Labour 8/11 Ladbrokes
- Conservatives 11/8 Skybet
- Lib Dem 100/1 Blue Square
Check the Latest Odds
As to the party leaders, William Hill are offering odds as to whether Gordon Brown will last in office longer than Tony Blair, though the odds are very short that he will (1/100), though if you think he will you can get 16/1.
If like me you think that the next election will be at least 2 years off, then you might want to bet on an election which will definitely be happening sooner. The American Presidential Election will take place next year (2008), George bush is out of the running as Presidents can only serve two consecutive periods of office, so who does that leave?
In America, there are three main parties, the Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The odds for the winning parties are Democrats 1/2 (VC Bet) Republicans 2/1 (Ladbrokes) and an Independent winning 25/1 (VC Bet) - Check latest odds.
As to who the next president will be the field is still open, and the latest odds look like this:
